Treasures under threat

The Green Heart of Europe is in danger

Unsustainable resource use and poorly planned infrastructure cause the loss and fragmentation of forests, wetlands and wilderness

The treasures of the Green Heart of Europe are threatened by:

• Unsustainable resource use and poorly planned infrastructure cause the loss and fragmentation of forests, wetlands and wilderness in the Danube-Carpathian region.
The treasures of the Green Heart of Europe are threatened by:

• Illegal and unsustainable logging of virgin and other High Conservation Value Forests.

• Construction of poorly planned and often illegal roads, ski areas and other infrastructure.

• “Wild” construction of hundreds of large and small hydro- and wind-power stations, many with limited benefits in terms of clean energy but massive impacts for streams, rivers and wildlife.

• International agreements, including the Lower Danube Green Corridor and Mura-Drava-Danube Biosphere Reserve.

• Economic incentives included in EU regional development policies and the EU Danube Strategy, and growing importance of certification schemes like FSC as well as payments for ecosystem services (PES).

• A strong network of partners stretching from the public to the private and non-profit sectors.

We now need to bring these together and ensure that they are both fully implemented and actively used.